Ristolainen missed the start of camp because of an upper-body injury, but participated in practice on Monday and will play on Tuesday. The 20-year-old blueliner had 20 points (8G / 12A) in 78 games with the Sabres last year. He will be a key member of Buffalo’s backend this season and for many years to come.
Thompson took part in the morning skate, but will not be available for Game 4. He remains day-to-day and could be available for Game 5 (if necessary).
Thompson missed the first two games of the series and he will be held out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. He could be back in the lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday.
Braun will miss the season finale on Saturday, which will force John Scott back to the blue line for the first time in his time with the Sharks. Braun finishes the season with a goal and 22 assists (23 points) in 70 games.
Ristolainen was held out of Wednesday’s game with an illness, but he is expected to be available for Friday’s contest vs. the Blackhawks. Ristolainen has three goals and one assist in his last three games.
Simmonds was hit in the leg by a Mark Streit shot last night and hobbled off of the ice without putting any weight on his leg. Simmonds reportedly suffered a fracture left leg and will miss the rest of the regular season. Simmonds finishes the season with 28 goals and 22 assists (50 points) in 75 games.
Ellis was in the Predators morning skate, but the Predators will evaluate him this afternoon before making a decision on his status for tonight’s game. Ellis has missed the last three games while the Predators take things slow with his return.
The Predators said they want to be cautious with Ellis, which is why he was held out of Saturday’s game and why he will not play tonight vs. the Devils. He remains day-to-day until the Predators believe he is 100%.
Ellis played just 11:29 in his return to the lineup on Thursday. He said he was 100%, but being scratched this afternoon suggests that he might have re-aggregated that lower-body injury.
Ellis practiced yesterday and skated with Seth Jones in today’s morning skate, so it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight. There is no official word on his status, but expect coach Laviolette to update Ellis’ status shortly.
Braun has been out since January 19th, but it looks like he will be back in the lineup tonight in Nashville. Braun skated with Brenden Dillon this morning, which is a good sign that he will replace Scott Hannan this evening.
Predators GM David Poile said he expected to have Ellis back in the lineup in the last week of February or the first week of March. Ellis, who has been out since January 8th, has taken a little longer than expected, but he is finally making some progress according to Poile. With the addition of Cody Franson over the weekend, the Predators blue line is going to look really scary when Ellis returns.
Ellis has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since January 8th. His return to the Predators morning skate is a good sign that he is progressing well and close to being back in the lineup.
Ellis did not participate in the Predators morning skate, but he skated alone prior to the team’s practice session. Ellis has been sidelined since January 8th and will likely miss another week before returning.
Braun missed the Sharks last game before the All Star break after breaking his hand last Monday. The injury will keep him out of the lineup until at least late-February, likely until early-to-mid March. He had 19 points (1G / 18A) in 47 games before getting injured.
Braun will be out for “weeks” according to coach Todd McLellan. Braun suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s loss to New Jersey and will be missed on the Sharks’ blue line for at least a couple of weeks. With Braun out, San Jose recalled Dylan Demelo from Worcester (AHL).
